Stumbled across an Essay

Tom, my face book friend, wrote:

Recently I started a job at Hi-Vee supermarket. Yeah, I know, whatever... But during orientation I had to get to know more about someone else at orientation. I met Natalie who said she wanted to work because she had been raising her 3-year-old son and got bored. I felt I could relate that hanging around all day with a 3-year-old might be boring. But then I wondered how it used to be done. Like, years ago was the housewife just bored out of her mind?

In my women's studies class tonight I made a discovery. Before America was industrialized the stay-at-home mom was busy producing things. Instead of idly passing time or watching TV these women MADE things. Things that I think most people have no clue as to how they are made. After America was industrialized the women went from producers to consumers. This sounds very familiar. Industrialization leads to consumerism. Then the woman at home had less to do and before you know it she had to go get a job... at Hi-Vee. Is Hi-Vee the solution to boredom? Not for me. And I don't think it is to Natalie either. But if your going to be bored you might as well make the time worth something. So she works in the deli and I work in the kitchen now. They have taught me how to do dishes and mix salads and make some foods like chicken. Actually, it doesn't require very much thought and I don't even care if I do a good job. I have converted my time to pure monetary value.

Something I'd like to do is re-learn what goes into producing things. I feel like if I could spend my time doing those things I'd be making more out of my time. But today value is measured in dollars and cents. I feel like there is a right way to be a stay-at-home mom or even father. People are beginning to realize the value of child raising. When I look at the economy I can't help but think the real problem is the entrepreneur. No one knows how to do anything anymore. If I wanted to start a side job making soap for the neighbors I'd have alot to learn. By getting a job I'm not actually helping the economy. Sure, I'll make money and spend it, but if I didn't have this job someone else would. We don't need more jobs, we need more self-made people. That's how America became so great.

Industrialization promotes ignorance. There is a long line between producer and consumer that wasn't there before. No one wants you to know everything that went into your making your cheeseburger or filling your tank with gas. If you knew everyone who produced the things you used then wouldn't that be wild. You would have a chance at finding the true value of what your getting. But something so simple as a pencil would require you to travel around the world to get to know the people who got the lead or rubber or wood or whatever pencils are made out of. I know this sounds hippish but you'd also have to get to know Mother Earth. Yeah, most people forget that things come from there. So we value money right? Well, how much does Mother Earth make each year? $0. How worthless is she! Freeloader! I have to stop and admit here that some of my thoughts on value were taken from Michael Pollan's "Omnivore's Delimma", so read it if your interested in this.